


you know everything i know

by aqakita



Category: RuPaul's Drag Race RPF
Genre: AU, Cracker's a primary school teacher, F/F, Fluff, Kameron works as a fitness instructor, also still so sorry about my horrible fic descriptions, i tried my best to learn the american one but it confuses my mind, sorry about using the UK school system
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-08-28
Packaged: 2019-05-27 19:28:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15031637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aqakita/pseuds/aqakita
Summary: When Kameron comes to pick up her niece, she’s surprised to see Brianna’s her teacher.





	1. Chapter 1

“Okay everybody! It’s tidy up time!”

The joyful yell of her class made her laugh a little, and as they started putting their things away, she shut down the computer. Each end of day was as exciting as usual for the kids, if not a little more, as it was coming up for the summer holidays. For Brianna, on the other hand, it was somewhat bittersweet - her class would be moving up to year 2, where she wouldn’t be teaching them anymore. Instead, she’d have a new set of 5 year olds to start teaching the basics to, and hopefully, they’d be as sweet as this class. Having worked here for a few years, she was used to seeing the kids come and go, and it hurt a little less now when she had to say goodbye.

Just as everyone was finishing up, and the clock was reaching 3.10, a very panicked little girl ran up to Brianna with a note in her hand.   
“Miss Cracker! I forgot I gotta give you this!”   
“That’s okay,” Taking the note, she opened it to read, “Oh, your auntie’s coming to pick you up? That’ll be exciting!”  
“Yeah!! We’re gonna go feed the duckies while mummy’s working late!”  
“Oh wow! What’s your auntie’s name?”  
“Kameron!”

When everyone was tidied up and ready to leave, Brianna lead her class into the playground, where she met up with a couple of teaching assistants who were helping manage the crowd as parents and guardians picked up their kids. They had to come up and sign out as having picked up their children, as a safekeeping measure, and had to come directly to the teachers to do it. It was good for stopping kids being taken by the wrong people, but it took up a fair bit of time, and some of the parents could be a little rude, especially if they were in a rush. If a child was being picked up by someone else, their legal guardian had to either phone up and inform the school, or have their child hand in a signed note, which is what little Suzie did.

Only a couple of kids were left in the playground, waiting on parents who were either talking with teachers, or with each other. That was when, finally, Kameron more or less jogged up, evidently flustered about being late. Suzie cried out excitedly, running up to her auntie to get picked up and kissed on the head. After the demand of a piggy back, she was put down on the floor, so she could clamber up onto her back, and when she was settled, the redhead walked over to check her niece out. That was when she recognised just who the teacher was, and her eyes lit up bright. The mirrored response was immediate, and had she not got a child on her back, she would have went in for a proper hug.  
  
“Brianna!” Kameron beamed, supporting Suzie with one arm and quickly signing her out on the sheet, before giving Brianna a half hug. It was awkwardly returned with a laugh.  
“God, Kam, I’ve not seen you in years! You’re looking…” She stepped back, glancing her up and down, “Good’s an understatement. You’re ripped!”  
“I’m a personal trainer now, I kind of have to be in good shape.”  
“Can you even feel her on your back?”  
“Yeah, but that’s because she’s pulling my hair - could you please stop that? I’ll put you down if you’re not careful.”   
With a huffy noise, the child settled, holding on sensibly.

The pair of them knew each other from when they were just the child’s age, and went to the same primary and secondary schools. They’d actually been close, but when Brianna went to university, they started to drift apart. On the rare occasion, they’d had a coffee, or facetimed each other, but in the last two years, they’d had no contact at all. Needless to say, this was an exciting encounter, and Kameron could barely wipe the grin from her face. A chat would be nice, but with a wriggly child on her back, she knew well that there wasn’t a chance of that happening.

“Right, I better head off, but,” Supporting Suzie in one arm again, she reached for her wallet, awkwardly fumbling with it one handed to get a business card, handing it over to the laughing teacher, “My number’s on that, if you ever want meet up? Plus, if you take that to my gym, you get £5 off a session.”  
“I’ll call you, but I’m not coming to a class, ever.” Giving a quick goodbye hug, then waving to the little girl, she saw her off, “See you later, hope you have fun with the ducks!”  
“We will!”

Brianna was caught in a bit of a daze as she watched Kameron leave, laughing a little when she had stop to put the kid down, holding her hand and walking her off in the direction of the boating lake. Turning her attention down to the business card, she smiled a little, trying not to laugh at the concept of actually going to a fitness class. The number there was tempting her, and as she considered the call, she was snapped out of her daze by a teaching assistant, coming to collect the registers. She gave her typical goodbyes, before nipping back into the building for a quick meeting, picking up her things on the way out.

Even though talking came naturally in the brief time they were face to face, when Brianna got home, she almost couldn’t bring herself to make the call. She thumbed over the number on the card a couple of times, having already saved it into her phone, thinking of what she would even say. It was a mobile number - if she couldn’t talk, she could text. She still didn’t seem able to convince herself to do it, and put it off under the guise of having to make dinner, then having to clean, then having to get ready for bed. Like a coward, she mocked to herself, she finally sent a text when it was coming up for 10pm, when she was sat in her bed and could feign sleep if for some reason, something went wrong.

_B: hey, its bri, sorry i didnt text til now, hope you had fun with the ducks x_  
A reply came through quite quickly. __  
K: hi, yeah we did, you know your her fave teacher? anyway, i need to be up early, ttyl, night x  
B: goodnight x

Now she was regretting leaving messaging for so long. It would have been nice to talk to Kameron for a bit, but her nerves got the better of her, and she ended up only getting the one message. Kameron had answered fast, and she wondered if she’d been waiting on her. If she was, that would have been sweet, but it didn’t seem likely. Setting her phone down on the bedside table, she heaved a sigh, snuggling up under her covers and pulling a pillow close to her chest. The hard part was out of the way, and she could just worry about talking in the morning. She’d already considered that she had the excuse of teaching her class as why she took a while to answer, but scolded herself for trying to think of excuses before anything bad had even happened. It would do her no favours to freak out preemptively.

When Brianna eventually fell asleep, it was like her brain just shut down to stop her overthinking, and when she stirred in the morning to the sound of her alarm, she didn’t feel like she’d slept at all. Besides, she had to get up at 6am, and that was exhausting enough. Shutting off her alarm, she went about what she normally did on a school morning - shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, then leave in a hurry. She had to get there early enough to set everything up, and that usually meant being there an hour before her class would arrive. It was even worse if there was a morning meeting. Just as she was setting out the door, at around about 7am, her phone went off.

_K: morning sunshine! hope you have a good day teaching your class, wondered if you want to get a coffee when youre finished? x_  
B: thanks, of course! have fun exercising if thats possible…… x  
K: it is!! you might like it if you try it x  
B: i’d rather teach music for a full day, anyway i have to go or i’ll be late, talk later x  
Her heart was racing as she set her phone into her pocket. There was now something to look forward, and she could only hope teaching wouldn’t drag all day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kameron and Brianna meet up for coffee after work

Brianna had never been in such a hurry to get home. Of course, the typical thing had happened to her - when she wanted to leave most, she had to stay late. One of the other teachers, who ran the after school arts and crafts club, had to leave on the bell to pick up her daughter from the airport, and so Brianna had been begged to stay behind and look after the children. She used to run this a year or two ago, but handed it over when she was briefly a year six teacher, and had to focus on getting them ready for exams. It was mostly the younger years, up to year three, who came here, and it was one of the easier clubs to manage for that very reason. That was a massive relief; she could have been stuck with the hockey club.

In an attempt to be sneaky, she got her phone out to send a text to Kameron, warning her that she was running late, but as soon as it was out of her bag, one of the children clocked it, and gave her the scold they heard used on the year fives and sixes.  
“No phones at school!! They have to be in your bags!!”   
A little embarrassed, she put her phone away, nodding, “You’re right, I was just testing you.”   
“No you weren’t! Miss Cracker was naughty! Now you’ll have detention.”   
“Are you giving me detention for it?”  
“Yeah!”

While it was quite cheeky for the child to tell her off, it wasn’t harmful to play along, and it meant that they were understanding the rules. As they went back to painting a flower, she glanced back towards her bag. The phone was on silent, and she could only hope Kameron hadn’t been trying to get in touch; she didn’t even get a chance to turn on the screen. Feeling a little nervous, she tried to focus on the club, which got a lot easier when the children were showing her what they’d painted. Eventually, the after school bell rung, and she made sure everyone was packed away, and had everything, before taking them out to meet their parents. She brought her things and locked up on the way, so that she wouldn’t have to come back inside.

When all the kids were signed out, she checked her phone, trying to fight back the way her stomach was flipping from the nerves. Unsurprisingly, she’d been sent a text.   
K: you still down for getting coffee? x  
That was from an hour ago, when she would normally have finished. Hoping she hadn’t gone to do something else when no answer came, she text back.  
B: of course! sorry i took so long, had to cover extracurricular x  
Starting her way home, she turned her phone off of silent, and only a few paces down the road, she heard it go off.   
K: you still at the school? I can come pick you up x  
B: yeah, i’ll wait outside gates so it doesnt seem creepy x

Until now, she didn’t know Kameron could drive, and her mind briefly wondered to the more literal sense of the phrase. Kameron could easily pick her up, probably even one handed. She certainly looked strong enough, and Brianna was quite little - it would hardly be a large feat. A blush crawled to her cheeks at the idea of being cradled bridle style, and she shook her head, hoping to shake the idea out of her mind. Kameron was an old friend, that’s all she was. It wouldn’t be appropriate to start having thoughts like that about her. But it also wouldn’t be the first time.

Sitting down on the curb, Brianna sighed, flipping her phone around in her fingers over and over. For the latter half of secondary school, and part of the time in university, when they were still in touch, she found herself undeniably under the influence of a crush. She had been, for lack of a better description, head over heels for Kameron, but she never did anything about it. There wasn’t enough indication that she would have liked her back, and afraid to ruin the friendship, she never brought it up. Whenever Kameron would get in a relationship, she’d just smile and nod, and be as supportive as she could, then be the best shoulder to cry on whenever they split up. She couldn’t help but wonder if she was single now, or not.

Before she could get too lost in thought, a car pulled up, and the window rolled down, Kameron waving from behind it. Getting up off the concrete slabs, the blonde made her way into the car, slumping down in the passenger side and placing her bag down on the floor. She would have just dropped it, but it had her laptop in it, and if that broke, that would be all the planning for the end of term gone. She couldn’t manage that stress. Buckling in, she turned to the redhead with a grin, and a quick hello.

“How was the club?” She asked, making sure Brianna was strapped in before she started driving.   
“Not too bad, it was arts and crafts. I ran it a couple of years ago, so it was kind of nice to be back there.”   
“That’s sweet,” Briefly, she looked over to her with a grin, before she focused again on the road, “Have a good day besides that?”   
“Well, my class saw a rabbit in the playground, so for about an hour, I couldn’t teach over the excitement, but aside from that, yeah. What about you?”   
“It was pretty good. Worked out from 8 to 9.30, then taught a fitness class from 10 ‘til 12, then had someone from 1 ‘til 3, so I’m pretty tired out.”   
“I’m not surprised!”

It took a lot to swallow back the laugh in her throat when Brianna caught on that what Kameron said was a coded brag. She was clearly trying not to boast too much about it, but the way she even glanced over for approval gave it away. Something about it was kind of sweet, that she wanted to impress her. It was only a short drive into the town centre, though there was a lot of time spent trying to find a parking space. After about ten minutes of driving, and a lot of complaining between them, Kameron finally found somewhere to park. Getting out of the car, she checked for her wallet, for Brianna, then stepped back to take a picture of where she was parked.

“I walked around here lost for nearly an hour because I had to park somewhere stupid, like this, and couldn’t find my car.”  
The blonde laughed a little, “That’s why you took the photo?”  
“Yeah, then I can see what was near it, then look for that.”   
“I’ll find the car for you, when we’re done. You won’t need the phone.”   
“Sure,” She playfully rolled her eyes, before beckoning for her to follow. Brianna scurried along on her little legs, before scolding Kameron for walking too fast.   
“Well, this hasn’t changed between us then. You could never keep up back then.”  
“It’s not like I’ve had a chance to get taller, I’ve stopped growing.”

She really did her best to slow her pace, but it was hard, and after three more complaints, two of which she was sure were just wind ups, Kameron stopped completely.   
“I’ll offer you what I offer my niece when she whines about me walking fast. Do you want a piggyback?” It was said like a joke, but it was a golden opportunity.  
“I’m a lot heavier than a toddler.”  
“Are you sure?” She raised a brow.  
“Shut up. But fine, sure, I’ll have a piggy back.”   
Crouching down, she let Brianna jump on, slipping her arms under her thighs and making sure she was holding on tight as she stood up, “You comfortable back there?”  
“Yep! Also I love your shampoo.”  
“Thanks, it’s strawberries and cream.”

This wasn’t the first piggyback she’d given Brianna, and they ended up discussing a moment of nostalgia. They’d once ended up lost on a walk in a country park, and after about an hour of pacing around confused, Brianna was exhausted, and thirsty, and they hadn’t brought any drinks with them, having not expected to get lost so easily. So, not wanting her to end up passing out, Kameron gave her a piggyback, and after about another half hour of aimless wandering, she found the trail again, and took her into the café, where they laughed about their lack of direction over cokes and chips.

“Look at that, I’m carrying you so we can get something to drink, once again.” Kameron teased, setting her down when they were nearer the coffee shop. There was a moment where she wanted to offer a hand, but that felt odd, and a little embarrassed, she focused on holding the door open for her instead.   
“I’ve not been here in ages,” Brianna mused as she wandered toward the line, glancing up at the menu.  
“What do you want? I’ll pay.”  
“No, it’s fine.”  
“I asked you to come here, I’ll pay for you. It’s only polite.”  
“Then I would like a honeycomb iced coffee.”   
“Go find a table,” Kameron directed her a little towards one by the window, as a hint.

Going to the seats that were clearly wanted by the redhead, Brianna slumped down into the plush of the chair. It was a nice day, and while she waited, she watched out the window at people making their way in and out of shops. Even though it was midweek, it was surprisingly busy, and leaning forward to prop her head on an arm on the table, she glimpsed over to Kameron, who was now waiting for the drinks to be handed over. She was tapping her nails idly on the dark wood counter, watching the staff work, before eventually turning to double check where Brianna was. Just as she smiled and went to say something, a tray was set down beside her, and she almost jumped out of her skin. She gave an awkward thank you to the server, and brought it over to the table .

“Scaredy cat,” Brianna teased with a grin, taking her drink from the tray.  
“Shut up, you distracted me.” She laughed a little, a bit flustered and a little worried she’d made herself look stupid.   
“I didn’t ask you to look at me? You distracted yourself.”   
Kameron went to say something, but hesitated, just laughing a little and sipping her drink. If she was quick, and if she had the nerve, she would have said something sweet and flirty. Hell, she even had the retort ready in her mind, but she just couldn’t bring herself to say it. 

For a while, they just expanded the catch up from the school grounds, explaining what they’d been doing in their off time. As it turned out, as Kameron brought it up, they were both single, but she’d just been through a pretty rough break up. There was the obligatory sympathetic ‘I’m sorry’, but it seemed that the redhead was dealing with it well. Even though she was sad for what the woman went through, Brianna felt oddly relieved. Not wanting to dwell on the negativity of heartbreak, the conversation was quick to move on.

“I still think you should come to one of my exercise classes.”   
Brianna scowled a little, “My answer to that will never be yes. Plus, I’m at work when you are.”  
“Weekends?”  
“You work weekends?”   
“Technically, so do you, since you have to mark things.”   
“Fine, but I can just sit at a table and do that.”  
“Come on, Bri, please. I’ll pay for it. It’ll be fun!” Kameron was insistent, and it seemed less a want to make her exercise, and more a want to share something she loved with her.   
“What if…” She was trying to think of a decent compromise, “What if we just go to the gym, normally, on a weekend, and I can do as much working out as I’m willing to.”  
A grin instantly took over her features, “I’ll take that! I won’t overwork you, I promise.”

When the drinks were finished, they stayed a little longer, caught up in chatter and both unwilling to actually admit being ready to go. Kameron almost offered to buy a second, but backed out, worried that she’d say no. The store closed at six, and sure enough, they ended up leaving when they were asked to. On the way to the car park, she got Brianna’s address, pre-putting it into her phone’s sat nav while they walked.   
“Okay, you told me you could find the car without needing the photo.” She brought it up as soon as they walked into the car park.   
“You’re saying that like I won’t find it, which is cocky.” The blonde laughed, offering a taunting hand, “Come on, hold my hand, you don’t wanna get lost.”   
“I know you’re trying to treat me like a child to embarrass me, but I am going to hold your hand.”

As soon as she locked fingers with her, they had the same reaction on opposite sides of the scale. Brianna’s hands were tiny; Kameron’s were huge. Even though she’d been cheeky about it, it was now Brianna who felt like a child. Her navigation was surprisingly good, and she lead the woman up to the second storey of the car park, and straight to the car. There was a moment very clear in Kameron’s eyes, where she wanted to make a comment about how she could be sure it was her car, but when she got her keys out and clicked them, she was proved wrong before she could even say it.

“How did you remember?”  
“I teach 30 five to six year olds almost every day. I’m used to paying attention to my surroundings.” Getting in the car, she buckled up, “You really need to start doing that.”  
Joining her, Kameron set her phone in its holder, starting up the journey on the sat nav, “I do pay some attention to my surroundings, but all hundred of the other cars here throw me off.”  
As Kameron started driving, it was clear she was more than capable of focusing on her surroundings when she was on the road, and if anything, she was quite a careful driver.   
“That was nice, the little…” Brianna hesitated, “Date?”   
For a moment, she glanced toward her, cheeks flushed, “Yeah. We should do it again some time. I’ve missed you. A lot.”   
“I’ve missed you too. I’m sorry I didn’t stay in touch.”  
“I was just as bad, I could have called, I could have tried to see if I could visit.”  
“It’s in the past.”

Pulling up outside the house, Kameron turned to her with a shy smile. Her cheeks were still tinged with a blush, and Brianna felt her own face heating up in response. She didn’t want to go, but she had books to mark, and besides, she could hardly stay in the car forever. Picking up her bag from the floor, she tried to gather her nerve.   
“So, I’ll see you later?”  
“Sure. Just text me, if you want to meet up. Or just to chat. I had a good time.”   
“Me too.” Leaning over, she gave her a light kiss on the cheek, which was mirrored, “See you later.”   
Once she was out of the car, Brianna waved her off as she drove away, before pacing up the path to the doorstep. She cursed herself for the way her heart was racing; just like when they were teenagers, she was catching feelings all over again.


	3. Chapter 3

Maybe she’d just pushed herself a little too hard. Kameron thought she knew her limits, and knew when she was clearly pushing them, but the ache in her arms was proving otherwise. It even hurt when she was steering the car, and left her more than a little relieved to get home. Pulling into her driveway, she moved to leave the car, hesitating briefly with her eyes on the passenger seat. Ever since their little coffee date, Brianna had been on her mind near constantly. Initially, she’d been shrugging it off as excitement from seeing an old friend, but it was now more than a week down the line, and that feeling hadn’t come anywhere close to wearing off.

As she made her way into the house, she was trying to push back some unpleasant thoughts. Of course it was excessive to worry that she might not see her again, but there had been two years of guilty silence on Kameron’s behalf. The tiny blonde often crossed her mind, but she didn’t want to bother her, and feared that Brianna wouldn’t have thought about her as much as she did. People move on, and that was normal - that was healthy. In her head, that was what Brianna would have done, and she didn’t want to drag up the past, even if it had been pleasant. It was impossible to go back to the way things had been - it was impossible to truly relive the past.

Dumping her gym bag by the door, she made her way to the kitchen, grabbing a Redbull from the fridge and slumping down on the couch. She took the phone from her pocket, and left it by her side, focusing more on downing half a can and turning on the TV. Brianna had been texting her over the last few days, and the conversations had been friendly and, if anything, very sweet. In spite of that, Kameron couldn’t bring herself to ask for a second meet up. They’d joked about her coming to one of the fitness classes, and since had joked as well about Kameron being her personal trainer, but she was scared to take that out of the context of humour. When they were out together, Brianna had more or less given a yes to going to the gym with her, but she still couldn’t ask the question, or set a date.

The sound of the news filled the air. It was something a lot of people pressed was important to watch, but Kameron had never really been that interested. She wasn’t out of the loop; she knew what was going on through twitter, and the push notifications on her phone. Though the remote was only a small reach away, she’d sunk back against the plush of the couch, and her aching muscles begged her to stay still. There was no doubt in her mind that she’d overdone it, and this was down to her decision to up the normal routine. It hadn’t been by much, just a few more reps, and slightly heavier weights, but after only a few days of that, she felt terrible. She’d not laid off today either, and that meant that she’d only feel worse in the morning.

Sometimes, she could push through the pain. It wasn’t uncommon to feel a little worse for wear after a workout; they were designed to push people to their limits. This, however, was the kind of ache that would leave her stiff and slow. Kameron would have to forgo her own routines for the next few days, and just hope whoever she was training wouldn’t need much demonstration. She would kick herself for this, if her legs weren’t so sore. When her phone went off, she was reminded of the exact reason why she’d done this to herself.

It felt embarrassing to admit to herself that she was pushing herself harder in order to impress Brianna. When she thought about it, she thought it was stupid. She was in good enough shape anyway, and while she was always working on building and maintaining muscle, she was far from a place where upping her routine would be even considered necessary. Yet she still did it, to impress a woman she’d only had two face to face conversations with in the last two years. Plus, she was encouraged into this by Brianna’s initial comment when she saw her - a stunned ‘you’re ripped’.

She considered that she’d only took it to heart so much since she was still feeling rough from a break up. It had took a big hit on her self esteem, and she was still building herself back up. Picking up her phone, she scrolled back through the conversation, realising that ignoring the texts would hardly make her want to meet up again. There was a sense of domesticity in their routine of checking in on one another.  _‘_ _How was your day?’ ‘What did you do today?’ ‘How was work?’_  - it was those sorts of things they exchanged. Each day’s chat was bookended with ‘good mornings’ and ‘good nights’, and though it was so simple, it made her heart skip a beat.

_B: well my day turned disastrously bad fast :( x_

If there was ever a sentence to strike immediate worry into Kameron, that was it. She didn’t even know what happened yet, and her mind was immediately catastrophizing it. Did her house catch on fire? Did she break her leg? Did she accidentally poison herself? Every single one of those possibilities was unlikely, and a little extreme, but she found herself immensely over-concerned about her coming to harm. When she got herself together, she managed to text back a rather collected response.

_K: what happened? X_  
B: theres a gas leak in my house, shut things off and called the emergency people out but they cant come til tomorrow and i cant stay in my house x  
K: you got anywhere you can go? x  
B: i dont think so, my mum’s away so i cant stay at hers, might have to stay in a hotel x  
K: you can stay here if you want? x   
B: you sure?  
K: of course, i can come pick you up now, where are you? x  
B: still home, just grabbing a few things x  
K: see you soon bri x

Only after she wrote her name did she realise it was unnecessary, but it was better than ‘darling’, which she wrote first. Getting up from the couch, groaning as her body complained at the movement, she finished off her can and headed outside. At least she didn’t have to worry about tidying herself up before seeing Brianna - she’d showered once she was done at the gym for the day, and fixed herself up then. Her clothes were on the comfier side, but people hardly wore their Sunday best to pick a friend up from their house with a gas leak. Making her way back into the car, grumbling as she slumped down in the seat, she started on her way towards Brianna’s house.

Kameron found herself relieved that she kept her house clean. Her room was a little bit messy, but she doubted she’d be bringing Brianna in there anyway. There was a spare, comfortable quilt in the airing cupboard, and clean pillows, which she’d give her to stay on the couch with. When she moved in, she did have a spare bedroom, but it had been converted more into a storage space, and she got rid of the nasty old bed that used to be in there. There was kids room decoration on the walls in there still, and she couldn’t help but chuckle at how fitting that would have been for Brianna.

As she got closer and closer to the house, she was feeling increasingly anxious about this. Her mind had been deafeningly reminding her that she’d only seen Brianna twice in the last two years. Now, she’d be staying over, for at least one night, and when they both had work in the morning. They’d be getting up around the same time, which was somewhat comforting, as she didn’t like the idea of having to sneak around someone sleeping on the couch. But something about it felt odd, distinctly foreign from their childhood sleepovers. They’d been limited to weekends, and they usually shared a bed - something they did when they were small and never cared to grow out of. Part of her wished things could be that way again.

When she pulled up, Brianna scurried over to the car urgently, getting in the passenger side and grinning at her.   
“I was worried that whole time that the building would explode.”   
“Didn’t you say you turned the gas off?”  
“Yeah, but how much gas was in the house before I noticed?” She shrugged, bumping Kameron’s arm with her fingertips.  
Of course, the redhead just gave a playful, joking, “Owch,” but when she flinched as the contact was made, it did hurt a little from her prior overworking.

Kameron was trying her best to maintain a friendly front, though she was overwhelmingly nervous now. As she was driving them both to her house, it almost felt like she was being suffocated, and she was worrying at her lip enough that it was starting to hurt. It hadn’t gone unnoticed by Brianna, who was evidently feeling a similar way, fidgeting and tapping her nails against her knee. Eventually, in the hopes of lightening the air, she made a joke.  
“You should’ve put a booster seat in before I got here.”  
Glimpsing at her out of the corner of her eye, Kameron laughed, “And I could have. Suzie’s booster seat’s in the boot. Missed an opportunity. Would you even fit in a booster seat though?”  
“…I don’t know but I want to find out.”

Now they had something fun on the agenda, and when they pulled into Kameron’s driveway, Brianna got out, waiting by the door while the other wandered to the boot of the car. Rustling through some bags, she pulled the seat out, slamming the door down.  
“Sorry, it doesn’t close right if you don’t do that,” She explained to the startled Brianna, before putting the seat in place, “Right, go ahead. You probably can, it’s for kids 4-12, I think.”   
And, she could fit in it. It was slightly uncomfortable, but she could fit, and as soon as she sat in it, she burst out laughing.  
“If only it was that easy to get Su in that seat. She hates it.”   
Getting out, Brianna gestured Kameron towards it, “Your turn.”   
“I’ll break it. At the risk of hurting your feelings, you’re probably a little more than 36 kilos. I am  _way_ more than that, and I don’t want my sister screaming at me for breaking the car seat she paid for.”

Shutting the door and locking the car, she lead a pouting Brianna into the house, kicking off her shoes by the door and asking her to do the same. The living room was completely carpeted on the floors, and she didn’t like getting dirt out of it. It was bad enough keeping on top of cigarette ash and spilled drinks, let alone mud from Brianna’s front garden. She let the blonde leave her things by the couch, and told her she’d bring down bedding soon. As soon as she said it, there was a moment of disappointment on Brianna’s face, though her voice didn’t catch up with it, responding with a chirpy thank you.

Brianna wanted to go back to the way things were, before all the distance. The biggest obstacle in letting that happen was  that she, and Kameron, were evidently too scared to actually instigate anything.  
Changing topic, Kameron asked, “You had dinner yet?”  
“No, I was about to turn the oven on when I could smell the gas.”  
“I can make you something,” She offered, though not wanting to sound over eager, she followed, “Or we could get a take away.”   
“Take away, but only you don’t have to spend ages in the kitchen. I can pay for half.”  
“I don’t mind.”  
“I’m staying here for the night, take it as me paying board. And can it be pizza?”  
“Sure.”

Things were uneventful through dinner, and in the wait for it to arrive, mostly because despite the attempt to make pleasant conversation, they were both getting a little worked up. Being overthinkers had been something they found relatable through knowing each other, and they knew how to bring the other back down to Earth when they were getting too carried away with their thoughts. But this was harder - neither of them could voice what was on their mind, because they’d be giving the game away. Idle conversation was all they had, and Kameron was starting to feel guilty for being so ill prepared, and a little worried that she was making Brianna uncomfortable.

When it came to saying goodnight, they both almost deadlocked each other in a hug, neither quite willing to let go. There was a visible hesitation in Brianna, who then cleared her throat uncomfortably and looked away, mumbling a goodnight as she moved to sit under her blanket. Kameron, for some reason she couldn’t explain, patted her on the head when she returned the goodnight, and walked upstairs angry at herself for that weirdly patronising motion. Flopping down on her bed, heart racing, she stared up at the ceiling. She couldn’t be bothered changing out of her day clothes, her head too occupied with hypercritical thought.

Kicking off her jeans, she shoved them onto the floor beside the bed, shifting to be underneath the quilt. The blue cotton shirt she had on had admittedly been used interchangeably between night and day clothes, since it was comfortable enough to keep on while she slept. Which was ironic, because she felt far too awake to even slightly start drifting off. She tried for what felt like hours, but with a mix of aching muscles and unrelenting thoughts, she just couldn’t settle.

Then, she heard it. A soft knock at the door, and with a confused voice, she called out, “Come in?”   
“Sorry,” Brianna mumbled, stepping in and shutting the door behind her, “I couldn’t sleep.”


	4. Chapter 4

Sitting up, Kameron watched her with a tilted head, fighting back the grimace that came with an ache. She pat the space on the bed beside her, shifting up a little to give her some room. The bed was only a single, so it was a tight squeeze. Brianna had her pillow from downstairs clutched in her hand, and as she settled in beside Kameron, she set it down behind her to lean on. They’d put each other into a bit of a stalemate, where neither knew the right thing to do or say. The blonde shuffled up a little closer, away from the bedside table that was digging into her hip.

“Was…” Was now the right time for a joke? Absolutely not. And yet, Kameron managed a strained, uncomfortable, “Was my couch not comfortable enough?”  
The only thing worse than the silent response was the awkward laugh that came before it.   
“You can stay in here, if you want,” She assured, moving away a little to lie back down. Just because this was an uncomfortable situation didn’t mean that she couldn’t get comfortable physically.  
“Thanks.” Brianna shifted a little, before asking a puzzled, “Do you mean next to you? Or, on the floor?”  
Looking a little nonplussed, Kameron gestured beside her, “Obviously next to me. The floor wouldn’t be fair.”

Settling down on her back, the smaller woman rested her hands on her chest. She didn’t want to accidentally touch Kameron, and she didn’t want to roll onto either side. One way, she’d be staring at her, which she felt would be awkward, and the other, she’d be facing away, and she felt like that would be ignorant. Besides, it seemed like the redhead was doing the same thing, eyes trained on the ceiling’s wallpaper, and its peeling corners. It must have been at least 1am, and they both got up at 6 - if they didn’t sleep soon, they’d have a horrible time tomorrow.

Despite her earlier musings about taking it easy when training, Kameron was starting to consider phoning in. Technically, she shouldn’t work like this, as she was more inclined to strain a muscle or do some lasting damage. She could get away with the day off. Then, it wouldn’t matter if she stayed up the whole night worrying, because she had nowhere to go. All she would need to do is get up, see Brianna off, and then head back to bed to catch up on the lost hours. Tipping her head to the side, she looked across to the blonde, caught her gaze for a moment, and looked away.

All Brianna could think was that this was stupid. This shouldn’t have been so uncomfortable, because this was hardly new to them. She’d stayed with Kameron one night on a trip home from university, lying in bed as the little spoon. That felt fine. But now, she was scared to even brush an elbow against her, or look her in the eye. It just made so little sense to her, because even then, she had feelings for the redhead. None of that had changed. As soon as she was back in her life, those feelings came straight back, and while she was desperate to dismiss her nerves now as part of that, she didn’t have this issue before. Lost in thought, she’d succumbed to a nervous, repeated scratching of her arm.

She didn’t completely notice herself doing it, until she felt the warmth of a palm on the back of her hand, and snapped out of a daze. There was a concerned softness to Kameron’s eyes, and it brought about an immediate sense of guilt. She was worried, and when Brianna moved her hand away, she found that she had good reason. As soon as the cool air of the room hit the aggravated patch, it stung like hell. There was a part of her regretting coming here; it was starting to feel like she was making a fool of herself. Kameron gently rubbed the back of her arm in slow, soothing motions, trying to reduce the sting. It wasn’t long lasting anyway, but the blonde didn’t stop her - it felt kind of nice.

With a light laugh, Brianna squirmed, moving onto the side facing Kameron, and putting her hand on the back of hers, “How’d we get so far apart?”   
Shaking her head, Kameron shifted into a more comfortable position, a slight smile on her lips, “I wish we didn’t. I mean, I know we’ve had things to do, like you finishing your degree, but I wish I’d tried to keep in touch a little better.”  
“Don’t,” Her voice fell in a chastising way, and she took a moment to adjust, not wanting to come off too forceful, “It’s not just you. I should have called, or texted, or literally anything more than I did. We both messed up.”

Moving her hand off of her arm, Kameron offered a hug, and pulled her close when she moved into it. Even though they’d lived these moments with each other, this felt so alien to Brianna, because these arms used to be thin. Now, she was clutched close in a much stronger, much more protective hold. Leaning her head into her chest, she sighed softly, closing her eyes and breathing deep. The woman’s shirt smelled overwhelmingly like cotton fabric conditioner, and she had to refrain from pulling away from her, instead just coughing lightly. Quite sweetly, Kameron gently pat her on the back.

“I’m not working tomorrow.” She stated, almost a little bluntly.  
“Lucky for you. You pulling a sickie?”   
“Not exactly, I shouldn’t overwork injured muscles.” Nuzzling her nose into Brianna’s hair, she sighed quietly. It was almost funny how quickly she moved into acting soft, given the only recently shed apprehension.  
“I don’t know if I could get away with the same.”   
“If only it was a weekend.”  
“You know,” Brianna tilted her head up, “I did have to leave my house because of gas leak. They don’t know where I’m staying. For all they know, I won’t be able to get in to work tomorrow.”

Shifting onto her back, she pulled Brianna against her side, letting her settle her head against her chest as she wrapped an arm around her, squeezing her shoulder a little. Reaching across with the other arm, she stroked her hand over the soft blonde of her hair, and she couldn’t help but grin at the happy whine that left her lips.   
“Maybe I will stay home,” She mused, nuzzling against Kameron’s chest and sighing, “Haven’t taken a day other than holidays the last year or two, so it’s not like it’ll be that unreasonable.”  
“Can always say it was an emergency, which it was, if you wanna avoid bad karma.”

As much as she was enjoying this exhilarating conversation about skipping work, Kameron’s mind was starting to wander a little. She kept thinking back to the past, though she knew it would do her no favours. But there were questions she wanted to ask, even if it was a little uncomfortable. By the time she’d supposed that dragging up the woman’s past feelings (that she’d never confirmed) wasn’t worth it, she noticed that it didn’t matter. Brianna had fallen asleep in the space of silence they’d assumed. After pressing a soft kiss to her forehead, Kameron settled down, trying to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Brianna woke up to the smell of food. Or rather, Brianna woke up for the second time to the smell of food - she woke up the first time to Kameron groaning from the stiffness of her limbs, and then her terrible attempt at clambering over her to get out of bed. When she stirred the first time, she phoned up the school to let them know she couldn’t work that day. Not wanting to get up yet, the blonde just settled back under the covers, taking Kameron’s pillow to cuddle as soon as she was out of the room. She considered staying here a little longer, breathing in the fading notes of perfume and detergent on the covers, but the rumbling of her stomach soon got the best of her. 

Shuffling lazily down into the living room, still carrying the pillow for whatever reason, Brianna made her way over to the couch. Her blanket was still there, albeit a little pushed up into the corner, so assumably, Kameron had been sat down here on her own for a bit. She hoped she’d not somehow driven her out of the bed; she wasn’t paying attention to the time when the redhead left the room. Slumping into the bunched up blankets, she pulled the pillow close to her chest, watching the kitchen doorway.

Something was shouted from the kitchen, but it was distorted by the source talking with their mouth full. A moment later, Kameron appeared around the doorframe, repeating the ‘good morning’ she’d attempted through her toast. There was still the sizzling sound of food in the frying pan, and Brianna wondered if that toast was essentially some kind of appetizer. Regardless, she returned the greeting and fidgeted in her spot, pulling the blanket around her for comfort. 

“I don’t know if you’re as picky as you used to be, but I’m making me a full breakfast. You can come in and look for something you want.”    
“But I just got comfortable, Kammy,” She whined, kicking her little legs in a fake fuss, before she moved from her seat, pushing past the figure in the doorway. Part of her wanted to tease the redhead for what looked like a large full English breakfast for herself, but she realised she did have muscle mass to retain. After pawing through the fridge and cupboards, Brianna eventually settled on two pop tarts. They were from when Suzie last stayed, it turned out.

“You often babysit your niece?”   
“Kind of. Usually see her at least once every two weeks. Her mum’s a single mum so I think it’s fair to give her a break from time to time. Plus, the company’s kind of nice.”   
Brianna chuckled, before turning around and jumping out of her skin when she saw a cat staring through the kitchen window. 

“Oh! Cricket’s here!” Kameron cracked open the window, letting the skinny, chirping cat into the house, “She was a stray but she’s now sort of my cat. I got her spayed when I found her and she’s in the house a lot, but she still has free reign. Plus, I’m not exactly allowed to keep pets here, so I don’t like to tell people she lives here.”    
“Why does she sound like that?” Brianna asked as she scratched the cat’s head, listening to the strange crackly meow she kept making.   
“I don’t know, but it’s why I called her Cricket.” 

The blonde continued to fuss the feline as Kameron served herself breakfast, offering a slice of bacon to the cat, and then a bit of a sausage. It was very clear that this cat was pretty spoiled, and that her lithe frame must have been reflective of athleticism. Plus, she was a grazer cat, who had a bowl of biscuits in the garden, and another in the pantry - or at least, that was the defence for giving her people food. Kameron dropped down to give the little black and white shorthair a fuss, before heading to the dining table. When the pop tarts were cooked, the blonde joined her. A part of her was jealous of all the food the other had, though she knew she wouldn’t have enjoyed most of it.

“I would have made you the same if you’d asked.”   
“I don’t want it. Too greasy.”    
Too much of a meal, Kameron mused, but didn’t say it. Brianna had always favoured snacks over actual nourishment, something that used to drive her crazy when they were younger. She didn’t see how she could get by on so little, but she could see now how that wasn’t under her control - she should just let the blonde have what she wanted. Besides, she seemed to have at least dinner a day.   
“Is this a normal breakfast for you?”   
“Actually, no. Usually I have some toast and a protein shake. While this would be good in terms of calories to burn in a work out for energy, the sluggishness and heaviness would make it hard.” 

She didn’t expect a proper answer, but it made her smile none the less, “So it’s a treat, then?”   
“Yeah, I guess it is.”   
It somehow took longer for Brianna to finish the pop tarts than it took for Kameron to eat the whole cooked meal, but it seemed that a mixture of stopping to speak and picking at her food had been slowing her down. When she finally finished, Kameron took her plate, and placed their dishes in the dishwasher.    
“You left your blanket on the couch, right?”   
“Yeah?”   
“Maybe we could sit under it and watch some films? Just use today to relax and enjoy ourselves.” 

Brianna’s eyes lit up with a smile, and she watched as Kameron glanced over a small cabinet. She still had DVDs?    
“C’mon grandma, pick a film.”   
“Shut up,” Kameron rolled her eyes, looking over her shoulder, “I didn’t spend as much on a blu-ray player as I did to not use it.”   
After a moment, she sat down on the floor, clearly struggling to pick something good or appropriate.   
“So, quick update, I don’t have any movies here that aren’t for children apparently. We could watch the Winnie the Pooh movie?”   
“Sorry, you have no movies that aren’t kids movies?”   
“Well, technically, I do. I don’t know where I put them though but I didn’t want to leave them here incase Suzie puts on The Exorcist while I’m out of the room or something.”    
“Winnie the Pooh it is then.” 

Once Kameron set it up, she came over to the couch, getting comfortable beside the blonde and tugging some of the quilt over herself. Offering an arm, she pulled Brianna close, leaning her head against her’s and smiling a little. It was nice to be sat here with someone more or less her own age for once. Plus, it meant she could probably talk through the film and not be shushed any time she opened her mouth, even though she and Suzie had watched this so many times it was a surprise that the blu-ray player still worked. There was, for Brianna anyway, a disadvantage to Kameron’s frequent viewing and general company.

The singing.

It wasn’t that Kameron was a bad singer, but it was that she seemed to know the whole film by heart. Every now and then, she’d look down at Brianna, smile, and apologize, but after a few moments of silence, she would start again. It did occur that this happened a lot when they were younger, because they would sit in either of their living rooms watching children’s TV when they were small. And, back then, Kameron used to always sing the theme from ‘The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh’. It was good to know she was no less annoying with remembering theme tunes. 

“Okay, I’ve got a challenge for you,” Brianna teased, “Don’t sing that song Tigger sings.”   
“You’ve seen this before?”   
“I put it on one Christmas for my class. Anyway, no singing.”    
“That’s fine, I can do that.” 

Like hell she could. As soon as Tigger started singing, she bit her lip, looking between Brianna and the screen.   
“This shouldn’t be this hard! I’m a grown woman!” Rolling her eyes, she resorted to tapping her fingers on the quilt, roughly in time. Then, she whipped her head around at Brianna when she heard:   
“All you need is a little bit of tiggerization!”   
“This isn’t fair!” 

Brianna was beaming, though she stopped at that point, not actually remembering many more of the words. To her surprise, Kameron managed to keep quiet through it, though it was clear she was struggling.   
“Suzie might tell me to shut up any time I talk but at least she lets me sing along with her.”    
“It’s cute that you join in with her so much though.”   
“Well, she don’t know any of the kids around here anyway, so I may as well be a fun Aunt so she doesn’t have to be bored. Plus, a movie’s been a good homework incentive.”    
“You’re a good aunt, she’s lucky to have you. She’d spoke to me about you before, but didn’t mention you by name until the day you came to pick her up.”

The rest of the movie seemed to fly by, especially after she put the captions on to let Brianna join in with it a little more. They reminisced for a while over the old cartoons they watched as kids, and the games they used to play.    
“Remember when we were playing british bulldogs before it was banned? That game was a nightmare.”   
Kameron chuckled, automatically rubbing the back of her head, “I remember getting knocked to the ground hard and getting sent home incase I got a concussion. You know what was worse though? That time I clocked you with a conker.”   
“My mum took me to A&E for that one, that hurt like hell.” 

Kameron reached gently out to the smaller woman’s face, brushing her thumb over the part of her brow where she’d hit her in the face with a conker all those years ago.   
“Can you feel it? The little raised scar?”   
“Yeah,” Pulling her hand back, she chuckled a little, “I’m still sorry about that.”   
“It’s way back in the past now. Things from the past should be left there.”    
There was a sense of mild, coded animosity to the way she said it, but it wasn’t directed at the ginger as much as it was at herself. Kameron looked aptly puzzled, but before she could ask, they were both distracted by the chirping cat jumping up onto the couch with them. 

Brianna scratched her nails lightly over the top of the feline’s head, smiling down at her as she padded over to settle on the quilt. The conversation was getting too nostalgic, and she could feel herself putting a guard up, not wanting to delve into past feelings right now. However, Kameron was clearly aware of the way she’d started to bristle, and had fallen silent, as if trying to think of the right thing to say.    
“Least we’re out of there now though. Well, you’re not quite out of school.”   
“No, and I have even more strenuous hours than I did as a student.” 

Shifting to stand, Kameron pushed the blanket from her lap, carefully setting it down as not to disturb the cat that was kneading the covers over Brianna’s lap. She gave the cat a quick head rub, and a kiss on the nose. Just as she stepped away, she caught a defiant:   
“I don’t get one of those?”    
Rolling her eyes, she moved over to the blonde and kissed her on the head, “Is that better?”    
Flustered, she mumbled, “I didn’t think you’d actually do it.”   
“Don’t doubt how nice I can be.” 

As she left the room, Brianna turned her attention to the cat, trying to focus more on the soft texture of the fur than her growing nervousness. Now wasn’t the time to start overthinking things - she’d be staying here another night it seemed, since the gas man hadn’t called to give her the all clear. And, truthfully, she wanted to stay another night. She was having a lot of fun. But sitting together at breakfast, sleeping in the same bed, the kiss on the head - they all felt so undeniably domestic. They felt like the things she’d yearned for, and though they brought a warmth to her heart, her happiness was getting tarnished by doubt. 

Overthinking things would just break her heart more that she was doing herself. It was just like before; saying something would ruin everything. Maybe there was less to ruin now, since they weren’t in each other’s lives every day, and had only been re-acquainted for a short time. In truth, she was fairly sure Kameron knew about her past feelings, so it wouldn’t be a surprise, or something out of place, if she made it clear those feelings were still there. Musing on how she could just come out with it, she realised she was setting herself up for disappointment again. 

When Kameron came back into the living room, Brianna tried to hide the way she tensed up. The redhead settled down beside her, holding a photo album in her hands. Immediately, she had to push the cat away, who was trying to find a way to sit on that instead.   
“I had this in the storage room. There’s a bunch of photos from when we were kids, not just school ones. And a lot of pictures of family pets and stuff, but there are ones with just us.” 

Shifting a little closer, keeping a hand on the cat who still seemed keen on sitting on the book, Brianna leaned in to see the pages a little better. There were baby photos of Kameron that she was very quick to tease her on, musing that she was a chubby baby, and how cute she looked in pink. But, a page or two in, there were pictures of them both as babies.   
“Oh my God, you were tiny back then too,” Kameron was quick on that, “This must have been not long after your mum got you.”   
“God I know,” Chuckling, she pointed to the hands holding her, “Look how short her nails are, she never wears them like that anymore.”   
“Honestly, you can’t change a baby with long nails though. Don’t wanna scratch the kid and…” Kameron grimaced, “Babies are messy.” 

They flicked through a few more photos, cooing over the ones of them as toddlers, and the first day of school photos.   
“I’ll never understand why my parents thought it’d be nice to take a photo of me crying.”   
“It shows vulnerability, Kameron. Then again, you cried all the time as a kid.”   
Fake sniffling, she whined, “I can’t believe you’d say that.”    
Flicking over the page, she dropped her facade when she saw a certain photo. 

They were both about five years old in the picture. Kameron, with her cheeks and nose roaned with freckles, donning a white sunhat and an ice cream stained Winnie the Pooh t-shirt, leaning against Brianna, who’s cheeks were rouged with a sunburn that contrasted the bright blue of her shirt and her flaxen hair. Both were grinning widely, sat beneath an old oak tree that stood still in the park near their old houses.    
“I remember that summer, that was the same year my mum took us on that trip to the beach, and you cried every night because you got homesick,” Brianna grinned a little, “You know, that might have been the first time we shared a bed?”   
“I think you’re right. Then we just kind of stuck with that any time we had sleepovers.” 

When they flicked the page over, they were presented with a photo similar to the one they just saw. Still under that same oak tree, wearing those same clothes, still sat beside each other. But, in this picture, Brianna was kissing Kameron’s cheek. In the photo below, it was the other way around.    
“We were so cute,” Kameron chuckled, glimpsing between the blonde and the picture. She was a little teary eyed at the memory, smiling slightly.    
“I miss that, when we were kids. We didn’t have to worry about anything.”   
“You don’t need to worry about anything now,” The ginger returned, before asking a more serious, “Do you?”    
“Nothing really, no. Just getting in my head all the time, but aside from this whole gas leak thing, I don’t have that much to really get worked up over.” 

Kameron wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer and kissing her on the temple, “I’m here for you if you need it. Or even if you don’t.”    
“Thanks.” Dipping her head into her neck, moving up to lean on her and keeping the cat stable on her lap as she did, Brianna flicked the page over. The pictures went on until they left senior school, and the remaining photos were mostly of Kameron with her sister and niece. Emotional and nostalgic after living their pasts through pictures, Kameron put the photo album down on the coffee table, and pulled Brianna into a tighter hug. It was a little surprising at first, but she wrapped her arms around her in return, nuzzling into her neck. 

“I’m so glad you’re back in my life,” Kameron mumbled into her ear, trying to suppress the waver in her voice, “You matter too much to me to want that distance back.”   
Rubbing the woman’s back, she playfully responded, “There, there, big guy. But… I’m glad too. I missed you a lot. I love you.”    
Squeezing her tighter, she returned a quiet, “I love you too,” before moving away, looking a little contemplative.    
“What is it?” Now, Brianna was panicking inside. Had she just put her foot in her mouth with that?    
“Not to ask something vague or cryptic, but… have things changed since seniors?” 

The blonde, for a moment, froze. She knew what Kameron was asking, which confirmed that she knew how she felt. Two attempts to speak, but no sound came out, and she squinted her eyes in a strained discomfort as she tried to think of the right way to answer. Setting herself up for heartbreak would be a mistake, and answering the question truthfully felt like it could be an irreversible error. 

So, instead of giving a straightforward response, she asked, “What do you mean?”    
Frustrated that she’d have to now explain herself, Kameron scowled a little, “I’m not going to respond badly to either answer, but, did you used to like me? People told me you did, but I didn’t want to believe it if I didn’t hear it from you.”   
“Yes.”    
“Have things changed?” Kameron’s eyes softened, and she looked at her with a tilted head, taking a hand and squeezing it.    
“Not really.”    
“Good.”

That was far from what she expected to hear. She expected to hear that she thought so, that she wasn’t surprised, and that she was sorry but she didn’t feel the same way. ‘Good’ was such a blunt answer, but it was better by miles than she could have expected. For a moment, Brianna just stared at her dumbfounded, partly from shock, and partly waiting to see if she would expand on that.   
“Two things,” She finally elaborated, “First, I liked you too, but I didn’t know if that was just because I put the idea in my head. And second, when I saw you again, it was like a flood of feelings came back to me.”   
“I felt the same thing!” Brianna interjected, squeezing her hand tightly enough that it made Kameron flinch, “Sorry, but, yeah, that was how it felt. I’ve been winding myself up over this the whole time. You could have told me earlier.”    
“I would’ve if I had the nerve, but it didn’t feel right.” 

The cat jumped down from the couch, allowing Brianna to get more comfortable. She shifted slightly, smiling warmly, before draping her arms around Kameron’s neck as she turned to face her a little more. Muscular arms tightened around her waist and tugged her a little closer  as she leaned in to nuzzle noses with her. Unsurprisingly, it went a little clumsily, and she hit their noses a little too hard, making Brianna laugh more than anything. 

“Oaf. You always do that.”    
“I’m sorry I haven’t got perfect depth perception like you.”   
“That doesn’t matter! Go in gently. Try again.”   
Though it felt tedious, Kameron moved back to lean in again, surprised to find that the command was a trick. She did go in more delicately, leaving option for Brianna to tilt her head up and catch her lips. Though she was briefly caught off guard, she kissed back softly. When Brianna pulled away, they both couldn’t help but grin, Kameron giving a shaky, flustered chuckle as she looked away, trying to recollect herself. She glimpsed back down toward the blonde, who eyed her with a nervous excitement in her eye.   
“I love you.”   
“I love you too.” 


End file.
